a.k.a. kouzinovia – a greek word describing a female person who lives in the kitchen. Always.

Nectarine Upside-Down Cake with Pistachios

This is what happens when you have an overload or nectarines in the fridge, no kids around the house and no mood for rolling a piecrust! THIS heavenly cake. Moist, sweet nectarines on a feathery cake bed, enriched with pistachios. And on top of everything, it looks SO good! A little olive oil in the batter makes the cake softer even when it’s eaten straight out of the fridge. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or –even better- a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Divine.

¼ cup pistachios, ground in a small blender, plus about 1 Tbs coarsely ground or roughly chopped for garnishing

Method

Preheat oven to 175 C. Make the base by melting the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and add the brown sugar, salt and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.

Line the base of a 23 cm round cake pan (NOT one with removable sides otherwise the butter and sugar will leak – and yes! It happened to me…) with greaseproof paper. Spread the butter-sugar mixture all over the paper. Place the nectarine slices on top, in a circle if you like, overlapping slightly.

Make the cake by beating the butter and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in zest, vanilla and yogurt.

Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Turn mixer speed to low and add the flour. Beat until mixed. Add the pistachios and beat again. Spread cake batter on top of nectarines, using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Leave cake to stand for 5 minutes before inverting on a serving platter. Remove greaseproof paper and discard. Sprinkle cake with pistachios and serve warm or at room temperature. You can enjoy it plain or with a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream.